Project
Ideas 
October 27, 2007
3 million Americans participated Saturday in Make A Difference Day 2007
Individuals and groups got involved in thousands of projects for the benefit of others, visiting seniors, reading to children, building homes, cleaning trash from parks and performing countless other acts of good will.
Jon Thomas "J.T." Robertson says it was well worth the time he spent planning, fundraising and stuffing goody bags to share his passion with others. The 11-year-old Olean, N.Y. train fanatic and his buddy Josh Tsujimoto, 7, collected 14,760 cans for deposit and supplemented that with donations from around the country to take 432 passengers - mostly disadvantaged or disabled kids - on a 90-minute ride Saturday aboard New York's historic Arcade & Attica railway. "I do this because it shows other kids how much they can do and that they should always follow their passion," Robertson said. Robertson is among the 3 million Americans who participated Saturday in Make A Difference Day, the nation's largest day of volunteering held the fourth Saturday of October each year. Across the country and in the United Kingdom, individuals and groups got involved in thousands of projects for the benefit of others, visiting seniors, reading to children, building homes, cleaning trash from parks and performing countless other acts of good will.
Make A Difference Day was created in 1992 by USA WEEKEND magazine, which asked readers to set aside one day just to help others. The day now is sponsored by the magazine and its 600 carrier newspapers, in partnership with Points of Light & Hands On Network. Newman's Own Foundation provides $10,000 donations to charities chosen by 10 outstanding individuals or groups chosen by the sponsors. "There's something about this that isn't just good, it's real," said Henry Lozano, USA Freedom Corps director, speaking at a volunteer project in Washington, D.C. "Folks engaged in service. Every time we touch another human being somewhere on the planet, we make a difference." In the nation's capital, volunteers from USA WEEKEND, Points of Light & Hands On Network, the District of Columbia Public Library, the Corporation for National and Community Service, Serve DC and First Book rolled up their sleeves at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, to turn dusty stacks with plenty of outdated books into clean, inviting shelves with updated ones. They also boxed used books for recycling or sale.
District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty showed his support by visiting with the volunteers to encourage their work. Wearing her best down-and-dirty duds, USA WEEKEND publisher Marcia Bullard helped sort and clear away books. "I'm really proud to be here today in a library. From the minute I could ride my bike more than a block from home, I've gone to the library. I've worked in a library and I can tell you words can make a difference. Make A Difference Day started because of a few words in a magazine and now 3 million people are out there today," Bullard said. Peggy Rermer, a volunteer with Serve DC, agreed. A life-long volunteer and former Peace Corps volunteer, she prepared books to give away at the library. "I was born in Belgium and became an American citizen in 1964. I'm so grateful for being an American. It's the greatest country in the world, and this is how I give back," Rermer said. First Book volunteers shared the magic of reading not only in Washington, but in 78 cities nationwide, distributing 200,000 books donated by publisher Scholastic. From Ketchikan, Alaska and Yakima County, Wash., to Allentown, Pa. and Syracuse, N.Y., children received copies of such books as Maurice Sendak's newest, "Mommy?" and the Dr. Seuss classic "Green Eggs and Ham." "This may sound cliche, but the volunteers are transformed as much as the people they are helping ... some people think it takes a great commitment, but it really just takes a few minutes at a time. There's no 'right way' to volunteer - the only wrong way is to not do it," First Book president Kyle Zimmer said. In Sioux Falls, S.D., volunteers reached out to those reaching another chapter of their lives: 49 Senior Companions visited nursing homes to brighten the day for shut-ins and those who lack family support in their elder years. Mary Lou Debates, 76, played piano and chatted with a 78-year-old friend. "I do it because there is so much sadness in this world. You know what a smile can do? It will just lift you up," DeBates said. Senior Companions help the elderly stay in their homes by providing for assistance, home visits and hand-holding to shut-ins. Make A Difference Day offered a chance for the volunteers - none of whom are younger than 60 -- to visit clients who've moved on to nursing homes. They also donated food for the Sioux Falls Food Bank. "If you are a giving, people-person, you have to keep giving so you don't feel unfulfilled," DeBates said. Since it began in 1992, Make A Difference Day has become a global phenomenon. In Great Britain, 50,000 volunteers turned out Saturday to help the elderly, children, and the indigent. With the theme of "Dare to Care: Make time to help end child poverty," volunteers from more than 90 organizations shared their day with low income families. At Emmanuel Parish Church in Forest Gate, London, children paired with seniors to make crafts and play activities and games. And they worked together to stitch blankets for the homeless. "Around 1 in 3 children in the UK are living in poverty and we are encouraging people to give their time to the campaign this year to try and make a lasting difference to these children and young people," said Esther Freeman, spokeswoman for Community Service Volunteers Make A Difference Day. And Make A Difference Day also is reaching into cyberspace. On Friday inspirational speaker Tim Richardson kicked off his charitable drive, dubbed the World's Biggest Blog Party, with a 24-hour-long event at Capitol Coffee in Maryville, Tenn. Bloggers from around the state brought their laptops and enjoyed live music, comedy acts and belly dancing as they wrote online about their favorite charitable causes. Richardson's aim? To get 1,000 bloggers to raise $1 million for charity in the next 22 days. If all goes as planned, bloggers will write about their passionate causes and readers contribute donations to charities through the Web site www.theworldsbiggestblogparty.com. "Aimlessly browsing the Internet can suck away hours that can never be regained," Richardson said. "With the popularity of blogging and social networking, we can combine one of the biggest potential time-wasters with one of the fastest-growing technologies to make a global difference." In Iowa City, Miss Iowa Diana Reed turned an American fall tradition into a fundraising opportunity. Reed held a "Miss Iowa Tailgate Party" at the University of Iowa-Michigan State football game, twirling a flaming baton for charity and selling bratwurst during breaks. All proceeds went to the Children's Miracle Network. My mom and dad were both educators and they inspired me," Reed said. "What ties us together is being able to reach out to the community, and I try to do that because it's important to be a good role model and set the example for them to follow." In St. Paul, fellow Miss America contestant Miss Minnesota Jennifer Hudspeth helped children pick out winter coats at the Salvation Army store. "This is our first year of really doing this," Reed said of Make A Difference Day. "We really want to promote it with the kids so they grow up with certain core values and can stand up in the world." Across the Mid-Atlantic region, Wegmans, Whole Foods and ShopRite supermarkets raised awareness of a little-known disease by distributing "Do I Have Celiac?" brochures at entryways and customer service counters. In 25 of Wegmans' 71 stores, dieticians were available to give customers information on the disease, caused by a body's inability to process gluten, a protein found in certain grains including wheat. Wegmans corporate nutrition manager Jane Andrews says celiac is the number one illness about which they receive questions. "We didn't choose this disease, it chose us," Andrews said. "Every year, we get thousands of requests for information on gluten-free food and celiac." In Fairfax, Wegmans volunteer dietician Lea Gebhardt taught customers about the often-undiagnosed disease as employees passed out gluten-free gingerbread mini-muffins. "This has been great. We've actually had a lot of celiac people stop by, and at one point, they were all sharing with each other what they knew," Gebhardt said. Coast to coast, citizens braved rainy weather, the aftermath of massive wildfires and cooling temperatures to spruce up their surroundings. In Jacksonville, Fla., AmeriCorps volunteer Jason Scott gathered friends to clean the beach at Little Talbots Island State Parks. Scott, in his second year with AmeriCorps member, said a couple of nor'easter storms and red tide algal blooms have ravaged the park's otherwise pristine shoreline. Make A Difference Day, he said, is a chance to give something to the neighborhood. "This is a great way to engage the community," Scott said. "It really puts them in touch with this natural beauty that is in their backyard." In Washington, D.C., other volunteers discovered the joys of their own city, in an overlooked museum space underneath the Smithsonian Institution Building, the famous brownstone. Members of the museum's Young Benefactors group conducted book drive and festival for children prior to hosting a magic show at the site. "I feel like I'm doing a lot of good," said volunteer Stephanie Klodzen, a five-year member of the group. "And I've met others who like to volunteer." In Las Vegas, children also were the focus of one of the city's largest volunteer efforts. Residents Nikki and Tony Berti distributed shoes to 1,500 youngsters through their Goodie Two Shoes Foundation, an effort that began three years ago on Make A Difference Day. "This is a gigantic city and people forget. We have 1.8 million people here. There's an endless need," Nikki Berti said. Further west, volunteers helped others mop up after the devastating Southern California wildfires. "It's the strength of our country," Lozano, of USA Freedom Corps, said. "In Southern California right now, AmeriCorps is on the ground, Red Cross is there, FEMA is there, Freedom Corps is there, helping restore, rebuild and redevelop. And it doesn't take a fire to cause us to be volunteering. It just feels good." Make A Difference Day volunteers are encouraged to send summaries of their efforts to USA WEEKEND. A panel of judges, including actor and philanthropist Paul Newman, the magazine's publisher Bullard and representatives from Points of Light & Hands On Network, reviews them and selects 10 national honorees. They are featured in an April edition of the magazine and receive $10,000 each from Newman's foundation to go to the charity of their choice. Train-fan Robertson, a national honoree in 2006, has grown his effort from a carload of kids two years ago to more than 400 on Saturday. He plans to continue contributing, as long as he can continue sharing his excitement of train engines, coaches and rails with others. "We didn't know it was going to get so big so fast."
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District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty showed his support by visiting with the volunteers to encourage their work at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. Photo by Sarah Claxton for USA WEEKEND.
Make A Difference Day, the largest national day of helping others, is sponsored by USA WEEKEND Magazine and its 600 carrier newspapers. Make A Difference Day is held in partnership with Points of Light & Hands On Network and is supported by the Newman's Own Foundation, which will provide $10,000 donations to charities selected by of each of 10 national honorees. The 18th Make A Difference Day is Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008.
Make A Difference Day Hot Line: 1-800-416-3824
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